Soyala finally stopped beside the Eternal One. “They are in agreement. It’s her.”
Tse’s words came back to Kai. “Is my mother right to be concerned? Is her time coming to an end?”
“No,” said the Eternal One.
“Shadi has much left to do in her time,” Soyala said. “And she is not a daughter called upon by the gods to rise. You are.”
Kai laughed, then found she couldn’t stop. Why couldn’t everyone leave well enough alone? Or, at the very least, leave her out of it. She laughed herself onto a seat near one of the prayer bowls and wiped the tears from her eyes.
The women stared at each other, then her.
“With all due respect,” Kai said, filling her burning lungs, “I’m as uninterested in whatever this is as I am the male you intend to place in my marriage bed. Which is to say”—she lowered her chin and stared dead into their eyes—“not at all.”
Standing, she marched for the stairs.
“Kai Silver Wolf.” The Eternal One’s voice lashed across Kai’s back with even greater command than Shadi was capable. “You cannot ignore the will of the gods.”
Kai spun on her back heel and took two equally commanding steps. “Fuck your gods.”
The moment she said it, she sent silent apologies to them before they struck her dead. Her mouth often got away from her, as they were likely well aware.
Soyala’s mouth hitched up on one side. “We’ve heard that one before. It makes no difference to them or us.”
The Eternal One heaved a great sigh, then came forward several paces. Her winged pet climbed down into her arms, and she stroked its scaled head and back. Itpurred. “Several months ago, a great voice called, crossing many seas and lands to reach us. It took us a long while to decipher even a fraction, which is why you are here.”
Kai returned to her seat and slumped forward, bracing her forearms on her knees. Veins of gold broke through the stone mountain floor beneath her boots, not unlike those in the Llinunae Stone. Strange. She had been all through this mountain and had never seen them before.
Kai met the strange eyes of the Eternal One. “Whose voice called to you?”
“Another conduit,” Soyala answered, her gaze drifting skyward. “A very powerful one. Gone now, but they have not forgotten her. They whisper her name like a prayer:Cassia, Cassia, Cassia.”
“Several lines of fate are converging,” the Eternal One said. “A great battle is on the horizon, and our people will play an essential part. You, especially, as your mother’s heir.”
Anytime someone mentioned her ultimate use as the heir, they meant only one thing. “What is it you’re asking me to do? Ensure an immediate line of succession because?—”
“No. Nothing so obvious. You will accept your husband in your own time.”
So, it was true then. Her time had finally run out.
Kai’s shoulders sank from the abrupt absence of weight. “I wish you’d reach the point.”
Soyala dipped fingers into the prayer bowl and swirled the water, staring into its vortex. “You will want to spend your energy battling your new mate—he is not the battlefield. There are men and there are daughters. Choose and prepare your most trusted and faithful warriors.”
Kai straightened, understanding little but one thing. “Our warriors are already honed and prepared for whatever comes.”
Soyala glanced up and spoke plainly. “You will need these warriors during a crucial time. They must unwaveringly trust your lead and you theirs. A choice must be made. You or her. Us or them. The wrong choice will doom us all.”
“Us orwho?” The answer was easy. Kai would choose her people. Always.
Soyala started away, sharing one final thought. “You will know when the time comes.”
The Eternal One watched Soyala disappear, her expression unreadable. The winged creature leapt from her arms and scurried after the seer.
Meanwhile, Kai imagined—in great detail—pushing over one of the prayer bowls to relieve her tension. She didn’t come all the way here to leave with vague, nonsense messages. If the gods needed her, they could, at the very least, be clear with their directive and why.
Her jaw pulsed with pain, as if she’d been biting back a scream for hours.
“Be at ease, Kai Silver Wolf,” the Eternal One said, coming forward. “I can see you’re upset. Allow me to attempt clarity.”
